Council members spent a lengthy portion of Monday’s caucus debating a proposed change to the city’s medical zoning overlay that would eliminate the special allowance for senior housing in the Christ Hospital area.

Councilperson Bagliano opened the public appeal for the hospital, urging colleagues to ‘‘join me and vote with support on Wednesday’’ and saying ‘‘no way in heck that Christ Hospital can close.’’ Planning staff cautioned that the amendment as drafted would conflict with the master plan’s guidance to study a medical overlay that could allow limited residential uses. Senior planner Sofia Perera said the master plan originally recommended an overlay to permit some residential uses while protecting medical operations; she said the planning board reviewed a related amendment and offered recommendations.

Supporters of the removal said an existing zoning loophole that permits 10‑story senior housing could be used by developers to demolish hospital buildings and replace them with large residential blocks. A staff member summarized a concern voiced by council offices: an applicant used the senior‑housing allowance to propose what staff described as a ‘‘10‑story wall of housing’’ without a hospital component, raising fears that the zoning could enable demolition and dense residential construction that would not secure continued hospital services.

Opponents, including the council member representing the ward nearest Christ Hospital, said removing senior housing would sacrifice a potential revenue and density solution that helps make the hospital financially viable. One council member asked whether the city could require the hospital remain in operation as a condition of new senior‑housing development; planning staff said the council could recommend such tie‑ins but that specific language and enforceability would need to be worked out.

Council members pressed for more targeted language and for additional community meetings. Staff offered to return with clarifying recommendations and noted that any change that departs from the master plan should be explicitly justified on the record to reduce litigation risk. No final vote occurred in caucus; the item remains scheduled for further consideration at the next public meeting.

The next procedural step is for the council to consider a refined ordinance or amendments that either tie senior‑housing permissions to hospital retention or narrow the scope of the study to the transit bonus/height elements staff recommended. Planning staff said they would present specific options and cost/impact clarifications before the council takes final action.